seafarers – Officer of the Watch

The Human Element in Accidents

July 27, 2015 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Shipping industry statistics state that around 90% of world trade is carried by sea. Key sea lanes are already busy and as world economies expand, the number and size of ships trading internationally, currently 50,000 vessels, will increase. The natural hazards of being at sea remain the same, but the increased congestion will add to the risk of collision or grounding. Whilst technology, particularly in the form of electronic navigational aids, has done much to reduce incidents in recent years, they do continue to occur with predictable frequency.

Professional Development: A Lifelong Commitment

July 13, 2015 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The marine industry is dynamic and ever-changing. The need of the hour is to keep ourselves updated with changes affecting our work environment, primarily including new regulations and latest technology. In addition, the protection of the environment, concerns around global warming, sustainability and supply chain security all take a central role, so we need to remain aware of new scenarios in each of these areas.

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Filed Under: FEATURED AUTHORS Tagged With: Crew, maritime professionals, seafarers, training

Abandoned, but not Alone

May 3, 2014 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

Filed Under: VIDEOS Tagged With: abandonment, seafarers

Abandonment of Seafarers and Shipowners’ Liability

April 9, 2014 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

The world’s leading maritime nations and representatives of ship owners and seafarers, are to address the issues of abandonment of seafarers and the rapid settlement of claims for compensation in the case of a seafarer’s death or long-term disability at the first meeting of a Special Tripartite Committee established under the ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006).

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: abandonment, Crew, ILO, MLC 2006, seafarers, Special Tripartite Committee

New Training Requirements for Seafarers in Polar Areas

March 16, 2014 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

In the IMO, the countries have just agreed on training requirements for seafarers on board ships in Arctic regions. Thus, the IMO still follows the plan for finalizing the Polar Code which is to enhance safety of navigation in polar regions.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: Crew, Polar Code, seafarers, training

Is MLC Having Any Effect?

January 8, 2014 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The following article was initially published in the Isle of Man Maritime Blog by Dick Welsh Director of Isle of Man Ship Registry. Back in August, the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) came into force, adding seafarers’ rights to existing IMO instruments covering safety, pollution prevention, and crew qualifications. The 30 countries that had already ratified the Convention could now carry out port state control inspections of ships visiting their ports, thereby raising the bar internationally and improving the situation for crew on board ships. But four months into the maritime industry’s newest international regime, have standards for seafarers really improved?

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Filed Under: FEATURED AUTHORS Tagged With: Crew, MLC 2006, seafarers

Seafarers and Administrative Burdens

October 31, 2013 by Stavros Kairis 1 Comment

Lately, due to a DMA report, there has been a lot of talk regarding administrative tasks in the maritime sector. In this article the findings of this report are being highlighted. The DMA report contains data from three studies on administrative burdens in the maritime sector. The first two studies on Danish seafarers and Danish shipping companies found that Danish seafarers use up to 20% of their working time on tasks they consider as administrative burdens and for employees in shipowners’ offices ashore the figure was 9 %. The study that has been conducted on international seafarers (with data from 59 nationalities) showed that 30 % of international seafarers feel that they spend too much time on tasks that they consider to be administrative burdens.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: HSSQE, paperwork, seafarers

Women At The Helm

September 14, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Filed Under: VIDEOS Tagged With: seafarers, Women

Preventing Seafaring Dreams from Turning Into Nightmares

August 22, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Following the official entry into force date of the MLC a few days ago ILO published a very interesting article about the expectations to improve the lives of seafarers. Being a seafarer was a childhood dream for Alex de La Cruz. He was raised in the southern part of the Philippines, where most of his neighbours and relatives were working as seafarers.